Enhanced Search & Rescue Service for general aviation released

Lockheed Martin has released new updates to its Flight Services automation system and Pilot Web Portal.

The Surveillance-Enhanced Search and Rescue service (SE-SAR) allows Lockheed Martin to automatically monitor flights and determine if aircraft stop moving, stop reporting their position, or transmit an emergency signal.

As a result, the system is able to initiate search and rescue procedures with more precision and speed than previously possible, according to company officials.

SE-SAR is available for use with SpiderTracks GPS position reporting devices registered on the Pilot Web Portal. The service will expand to other position reporting devices and automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast equipped aircraft in the near future, officials note.

SE-SAR is the second major safety enhancement recently deployed by Lockheed Martin. In October 2012, it deployed the Adverse Condition Alerting Service (ACAS), which alerts pilots to critical safety conditions that arise after they have been briefed and filed a flight plan. Enhancements to the Pilot Web Portal now allow pilots to review and acknowledge the adverse conditions without having to call Lockheed Martin Flight Services.

Other new capabilities on the Pilot Web Portal include integration of graphics into briefings and the ability to activate flight plans without having to call Lockheed Martin Flight Services.

In addition, the company has released a set of free interfaces that allow suppliers of mobile flight planning apps to provide access to SE-SAR, ACAS, and other Lockheed Martin capabilities directly from their apps.

“Lockheed Martin is committed to improving safety, efficiency, and convenience for the general aviation community,” said Jim Derr, director of Lockheed Martin Flight Services. “Look for more features later this year including our Next Generation Briefing capability that includes automatic summarization of text-intensive information and enhanced graphics that help pilots understand their briefings faster.”

Pilots can register for the Pilot Web Portal online. All Lockheed Martin Flight Services services are free to pilots.

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